A Captain's Confidence
by The Pen Vs The Sword
Summary: Leonardo has the potential to be better than he is. He just needs a little guidance. Perhaps from a certain captain. One-shot. 212k. Contains some action.


**A/N:** Hello all you turtle fans.

 **Sword:** Mask up! *ties on mask* Agh! I can't see!

 **Pen:** You're supposed to make eyeholes, you twit.

This is an idea we've had kicking around a while, focusing on Leonardo when the turtles were younger.

 **Sword:** And who's been so adorable and precious in the new show! Fanboy Leo is best Leo!

We figured that Leo had grown up being influenced by Captain Ryan, which inspired this story for how he first came across the Space Heroes show. Anyway, TMNT belongs to Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman, and Nickelodeon. The story, Sword, and Pen belong to me. Please do not use without permission. Thank you and please enjoy.

 **Sword:** Pen! Where are- woah! *falls down the stairs*

 **A Captain's Confidence**

Raph on one side, Mikey on the other, and Donnie already tossed off the sparring mat. Again. Leo looked to Master Splinter for any indication of what to do, but he stood there, silent and watching his children.

Mikey's foot slid across the mat as he moved behind Leo. In coordinated unison, Raph did the same and they circled him, waiting for an opening. Leo kept his arms up, searching for a way out. Without Donnie though, this was impossible.

"Got you now, bro," Mikey said, feigning a kick.

"You know you've lost Leo," Raph said, a little closer when he stepped behind him. "May as well give up and walk out."

He growled, hating that Raph was right, but decided that if he was going to go down, he would go down fighting. He waited for Mikey to spin with a backhand and caught it. He hefted his brother over his shoulder and at Raph, who dodged. Raph came on with a strong kick and Leo blocked. He kept attacking Leo, backing him up to the edge of the mat, but Leo ducked under a too-high kick and swept around.

Splinter perked up as Leo kicked Raph in the back. But the shorter turtle refused to lose and stopped himself on his hands and jumped back into Leo, hitting harder. Leo's arms vibrated and dissolved into jelly with each blocked attack. Block, swing at Raph, block, swing, as his arms grew tired and Raph's never lost momentum. All too soon, Raph was hitting Leo more often than he could block.

By then, Mikey had recovered and attacked Leo's back, pushing him into Raph's punch. Leo leapt away and cut his leg into Mikey's, tripping him. But Mikey caught himself, holding a headstand. He faced Leo, looking at him upside down and spun his legs wildly. Raph shoved him hard into the kicks and Leo earned several sharp stings across his cheek for not watching all his sides. When he fell, both tackled him, holding down his arms.

"Face it, bro," Raph said. "You lost."

Leo abandoned all restraint and pushed back against them, swinging at air, shell, or whatever he could find until he was exhausted. It was hopeless and he shirked as Raph and Mikey each stuck a finger in their mouths.

"You know what's coming," Mikey said in a sing-song voice, inching his finger for Leo's ear.

"Hajime!" Splinter said. The two turtles pouted but wiped their fingers off and sat before their master with Donnie. Leo stayed on the floor for a moment, wallowing in his defeat and letting the shame ooze off him before he joined them in their seated line.

Splinter towered over them. Even standing, they barely passed the tall rat's knee. Donnie's crown only just reached the waist. Splinter stared down at Raph and Mikey, his eyes studying and contemplating everything like they always did. Although they tried to hide it with solemn faces, the victorious turtles were rather pleased with themselves and swallowed gloating cries. Meanwhile, Donnie looked as bad as Leo felt, having taken the brunt of Raph's attacks. His swollen eye and disheartened demeanor at another loss made him seem like an abused, neglected puppy.

"Very good," Splinter said to Mikey and Raph. "But what have I told you about attacking an opponent who has lost?"

"Uh," Mikey scratched his scalp, "do it if he has it coming?"

Splinter narrowed his eyes and stroked his thin, stringy beard into a perfect strand. "Backflips. Now."

The pair groaned and Raph shoved Mikey as they headed to the den. "Nice one, shell brain."

"Hey, you did it too."

Once they started their backflips, Splinter knelt to Donnie's level and grabbed his chin, tilting his head this way and that. "You did well, my son." Donnie gave a half-hearted smile, his gap poking out between his teeth. "Go get some ice from the freezer for that."

A fear and sense of dread settled in Leo's stomach, mixing with the humiliating loss. The last one left, all alone with their master. This couldn't be good. It never was and he already knew what was coming.

"My son," Splinter said, sitting down across from him, "why did you give up?"

"I didn't," he said, lying, but Splinter saw through that easily and waited for the real answer. "I couldn't beat both of them. It was impossible."

"A ninja does not see anything as 'impossible.' Are you not a ninja?"

"Yes, Sensei, but—"

"There is no 'impossible,' " Splinter repeated. "Was it impossible for people to find the New World? Was it impossible to travel to the stars? Was it impossible for four turtles to be mutated and trained as ninja?" Leo stayed silent and pursed his lips. "Then why should it be so impossible to defeat two opponents?"

"Because it's two-on-one."

"And? Do you think the ninja always operates in single combat?"

"And they're really good," he said. It was true. Raph was an unstoppable powerhouse that only fought harder whether he got in a hit or was knocked down. And Mikey had a rhythm to his movements like some jaw-dropping dance.

"So are you and Donatello." Splinter leaned forward. "You each have your own strengths. You yourself see opportunities and can make snap decisions. I saw it. You were mindful of all your surroundings at first and found the right time to strike. But if you give up, then none of that matters. Whether you have a brother on your side, a hundred companions, or are by yourself, give up and you _will_ be defeated every time. You must have confidence in yourself."

He stifled a groan and bowed his body. "Yes, Sensei."

"You may go now."

* * *

When Leo entered the den, Raph and Mikey had finished their backflips and gone off to their rooms. Donnie was in his lab, suspiciously quiet for once. Leo considered checking in on him, but knew better than to disturb Donnie while he was working. So he collapsed on the sofa, letting the cushions soak away his sore muscles.

Mikey had left the television on again to some cartoon. The remote was just out of arm's reach, but Leo didn't care enough to change the channel and drifted back and forth between watching it and thinking about Splinter's words.

Why did Master Splinter always single him out? It seemed like he held him to a higher standard than the others. He supposed he should feel honored that Splinter thought him capable of much more. However, as of late, Splinter kept setting the bar higher and higher and Leo was often out of reach.

A lonely trumpet wailed on the television as some new sci-fi show. As a futuristic spaceship zoomed past a star-studded backdrop, Leo heard Splinter's words again. _Was it impossible for people to find the New World? Was it impossible to travel to the stars? Was it impossible for four turtles to be mutated and trained as ninja?_

 _No,_ he thought. _But I can't always win._

"Captain!" A wide-eyed, terrified young man on the show raised his hands. "We can't win! It's impossible! They ate our phasers and we're two seconds away from being next on the menu!" A hand reached out and slapped him. "Thank you, Captain."

Leo chuckled and the screen switched to a stalwart captain, confident and unafraid as he faced down hairy alien beasts surrounding the pair on the bridge. It was the two of them against several of the slothering monstrosities. "Nothing is impossible. If we can't outfight them, we simply must outwit them."

He pressed a button and an airlock on the side of the bridge opened, sucking a few of the aliens into the empty vacuum. The rest dug their long, curved claws into the floor, hanging on. The captain closed the airlock and smiled. "Suck on that, you stink beasts! That should even the odds!"

Leo grabbed the remote, turning the volume up. The captain faced down two of the aliens, each easily twice his size. They flipped their legs over their heads and tore their claws out of the floor as they drew up to their full, imposing height. He ran in between them as they swung at him. Their sharp claws sliced across each other's chests and the screen switched back to the terrified crewmate as purple goo splashed across his face.

"Not very bright, are they?" the captain said. Leo grinned and sat closer to the television to get a better view.

Another alien came for the captain, but he side-stepped out of the way. It hit a control panel, zapping itself with thousands of volts. Smoke poured out of the control panel and filled the screen, then the charred, woozy beast fell to the ground. "Yeah," Leo said, punching the air.

"Captain Ryan! There's one left!" the other man shouted.

Captain Ryan curled his fists and Leo leaned forward. _Is he actually going to_ fight _that thing? He's crazy!_

Ryan socked the final creature in its long snout, then in the chest. It tripped over one of the other dead aliens and fell on its back. He jammed his hand into its mouth and Leo gasped, biting his fingers. For several tense moments, Ryan felt around the alien's throat before pulling out a slimy phaser. "Set phaser to obliterate," he said, firing down the alien's gullet.

After wiping the slime and mucous off of it, Ryan holstered his phaser. "Crankshaw, tell Dr. Mindstrong to examine these creatures' physiology, then get them off my ship."

"Yes, Captain!" the young man said, running off.

"Wow." Leo's face was pressed to the screen when it suddenly switched to the credits. The way that captain took on all those aliens by himself? He couldn't believe it! He wanted to be just like Captain Ryan.

A narrator voice-over said, "Stay tuned for the rest of our three-hour Space Heroes marathon."

Leo grabbed a cushion from the sofa and got into a comfortable spot on the floor for the next few hours, excited and giddy like Mikey during his sugar-cereal fueled, cartoon block binges every morning. He had no intention of missing this.

* * *

The next day, Leo lined up with his brothers for another sparring practice. "Leonardo, Donatello," Splinter said, pointing to his left. "Raphael, Michelangelo," he pointed to his right.

"Aw, man," Donnie said, grimacing and folding his arms. His eye was better than yesterday and the edge of his pupil peeked out. "We don't stand a chance."

Leo breathed in, calm and collected and faced Raph's cocky sneer and Mikey's playful hopping as they waited for the fight to start. "Yes, we can."

"Are you kidding?" He emphasized his hysterical whispers with arm flailing. "Don't you remember yesterday? Raph will toss me out in two seconds and you'll be lucky if you last long after that."

 _Slap!_

Everyone turned to the pair, but Leo stood in front of Donnie, not allowing him to make eye contact with anyone else. Donnie rubbed his hanging jaw. "Did you just slap me?"

"Get it together," Leo said. "If we work together to outwit them instead of trying to outfight them, we can take them on."

He continued rubbing his cheek and leaned to the side, glancing at his brothers. When he returned to Leo, who gave him an assuring nod, he sighed. "What do you have in mind?"

"Get Mikey out first, then we can take on Raph," he said. "Follow my lead. Mind your environment and use it to your advantage."

"Hey!" Raph cupped his hands to his mouth. "Can we do this in the next century?"

The fighters stood at attention, Splinter looking between them and checking if they were ready. To his right, Donnie was muttering to himself, "Please let us have a chance."

"Donnie, we can do this. There's no time for hesitation," he said, as Splinter raised his hand.

"Right."

"My orders must be carried out without question."

"Orders?"

"Hajime!" Splinter shouted.

"Move!" Leo ordered and Donnie sprinted after him. They both focused on Mikey, who jumped into the air, foot outstretched. Leo grabbed it and Donnie took the other.

"Wagh!" Mikey shouted. The pair swung him back and forth and threw him into the tree overlooking the area. He crashed into the trunk and tumbled down onto the mat.

Raph attacked Donnie, kicking him into Mikey, then went after Leo. He pushed him to the edge of the sparring mat and wound up a large punch. Leo ducked, rolled between his legs, and popped up on the other side. The tables turned, he tried to push Raph out, but his brother leapt out of the way.

Mikey had recovered and kept Donnie at bay from helping. "Mikey!" Raph said as he and Leo came closer. The orange-masked turtle slipped around Donnie's kick and ran over to help.

"Watch out!" Donnie yelled.

Leo was trapped on either side and stepped back, blocking on his left and right. The pair were relentless and got in a couple of shots, but Leo refused to think negative. He spotted a pause in their attacks. He made a snap decision, zipping in between them, and hoped his dare paid off.

It did. Raph and Mikey smacked each other while aiming for Leo. "Ow! Raph!" Mikey held his face and stomped his foot.

 _Not too bright, are they?_ Leo joked to himself.

"Get them!" Raph said.

They ran at Donnie and Leo, with Mikey ahead, his face still covered and his war cry muffled. Leo and Donnie stepped aside at the last moment and each kicked Mikey in the shell off the mat. He slid across the ground, slammed face-first into the wall, and groaned.

Raph kept coming and went for Donnie first, hefting him up on his shoulder. Donnie wiggled around and Leo leapt for Raph, but was knocked back. The red-masked turtle hurled Donnie on top of Mikey and dusted his hands.

Mikey had barely sat up as Donnie fell on him. "Thanks for the catch," he said.

"Don't mention it," Mikey said, wheezing and shoving him off.

Raph faced down Leo. "Just you and me." He came on full-force, hitting the air hard. Leo dodged more blows than he blocked and each one frustrated Raph more and more. "Are you going to actually fight or what?" he said as they neared the tree.

Leo waited until his shell was pressed against the tree and Raph delivered a one-two punch. He caught the first with his forearm, then moved out of the way of the second, letting the fist hit the tree trunk straight-on. Raph cradled his hand and Leo ran a few paces up the tree, jumped off, and kicked Raph in the head. His brother went down and Leo stood over him.

"Yield," he said.

Growling, Raph kicked upwards and onto his feet. Leo socked him between the eyes, hit him in the chest, and grabbed his arm. He swung Raph round and round and threw him off the mat, leaving himself the victor.

"Hajime!"

Leo ran Splinter and sat on the ground, facing him, his head bowed. Mikey and Donnie managed to tear themselves away from the shock and awe of the last moments of the fight and assembled with Leo. Raph dragged himself off the floor and joined them as well.

Splinter waited for all of them and looked each over. "You all did very well. I'm proud of all of you." Donnie beamed and Leo couldn't help smiling either. "Michelangelo, go get some ice. Raphael, the bandages. I'll tend to you in a minute."

"Yes, Sensei," Raph said. Mikey kept touching his face for any blood and wincing. Raph nudged him and they left.

"I'm very pleased with your performance today," he said to Donnie. "You may go."

"Thank you, Sensei."

Leo was left alone with Splinter. Again. Habit feared another lecture, but Splinter laid a hand on his shoulder. "Not so impossible, was it?"

He raised his gaze and shook his head. "You were right. I guess I needed to have more confidence in myself. If people can fly to the stars or if Captain Ryan can take down an alien infestation, Donnie and I can beat Raph and Mikey."

Splinter cocked an eyebrow. "Captain who?"

He sheepishly rubbed his neck. "Uh, it's nothing, Sensei. May I leave?"

He stroked his beard and nodded. "Yes, you may go."

Leo bowed and hurried to the den. He wanted to get to the television before Mikey did. There was an hour-long Space Heroes special on today and he couldn't wait to watch it.

 **A/N:** Hm, I'm not too sure about the very end, but we didn't have that fully planned out.

 **Sword:** *squees* Leo is so cute!

Anyway, please let us know what you think of the story. We appreciate you taking the time to read it. Thank you and we hope you enjoyed it.

 **Pen:** Sword! Watch where you're going!

 **Sword:** Where are you, my cute turtles? Come here for hugs!


End file.
